


Day 085

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [85]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23321029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [85]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 085

Grace and Pauline made their way through the back alleys of Darktown without too much concern. The locals had, by now, learned to give the mages a wide berth. They met up with Roberto and his team without incident. Grace was impatient to get a look at the device.

“We’re still piecing together how it works,” the apprentice, Sicila, said. “The demon has, thus far, been unhelpful.”

“Of course it was,” Grace snorted. “The thing wants to watch you fumble about until you stumble on the truth. Which you would if I weren’t here.”

Grace ignored Roberto’s blathering as she made her way into the back room where they were keeping the device. It was strange looking, not Qunari in design surely, but it didn’t really look elven either. Given the nature of the device it could be dwarven but it looked more like something out of a nightmare. If Grace were being entirely honest, it looked like nothing so much as an octopus that had been turned into veil quartz. It even had two red gems that could be eyes.

“Have you tried casting any spells around it?” Pauline asked. Grace looked over at Roberto.

“Of course not,” he said. “Given what we know about it...” Well it seemed the man wasn't completely brainless.

“It killed a demon,” the Qunari mage offered. Grace turned to the creature, interested for the first time. 

“Explain exactly what happened,” she said.

“I summoned a demon to tear through the dwarves guarding the thing. The last one was carrying the artifact on his back. He dropped it and fled but when the demon passed the thing it sucked the demon inside it.”

“I’m surprised you don’t know how it works,” Pauline said. “Wasn’t this device used by your people?”

“Meredith is a gentle mother compared to the way the Oxmen treat their mages,” Grace explained.

“They don’t give us the option to be obedient,” the Qunari added. She indicated the scarring around her lips. “They sew your mouth shut as soon as your power manifests.”

“How do you eat?” Pauline asked.

“Lots of soup,” the Qunari said. “I still can’t handle solid foods, but one day I will rip apart the flesh of a beast and swallow it.” it smiled eyes unfocusing as dreams of steaks danced through its head.

Grace set to work examining the runes around the ‘body’ of the device. They were closer to ancient tevine than anything else but the letters had an elvish tinge to them. The device’s origin continued to elude classification. However, Grace did notice that the red gems moved on a dile. 

“Be ready,” she said, and twisted the dials around. There was a strange roaring noise and a flash of green energy.

“The demon!” Roberto shouted. Grace looked up just in time to see a rage demon being simultaneously hit with four winter’s grasps. The poor creature exploded before it knew what was going on. It seemed that the device could either absorb magical energy, including fade creatures, and it could release it at a later time. The energy must dissipate over time or every bit of magic the device had absorbed would have come pouring out when she turned the dials.

When a mage was drawing from the fade and the device absorbed the magic it would pull as much as it could through that mage. For most mages the strain would kill them, that was why the Qunari thought it was a weapon. But if enough power could be stored in the device, a blood sacrifice would limit the danger to the mages, when it was released, it might be enough to punch a hole in the veil.

“I see my work here is done,” Grace said. “I must return to the tower. I will return tomorrow and we can begin the process.”

Roberto began arguing but Grace wasn't listening. They would achieve their aims very soon. She let a smile play across her face for the first time in three years.


End file.
